as in giant
unusually large
harvested a whacking number of zucchini from the garden
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in extremely
to a great degree
the clown wore a whacking big pair of shoes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in smacking
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
whacked the vending machine to get the candy bar to fall
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in murdering
slang
to put to death deliberately
without a second thought the mob boss had them whacked
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whacking
Panashe Matemba-Mutasa, Mercury News, 27 May 2026
And the crowd clearly expected that pucks whacking the nets would be at a premium in this series, too.
—ABC News, 4 May 2026
But, really, just being on the island feels like meditative wellness, including taking a golf club and a biodegradable ball from the island shop and whacking it into the sea.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Ultimately, the Yanks would spend 2 hours and 45 minutes on the court, meaning 2023 champion Tiafoe, who had prevailed in two previous marathons, wound up whacking balls for eight-plus hours in his ultimately futile bid for reach a fourth consecutive final here.
—Dale Robertson, Houston Chronicle, 4 Apr. 2026
And Matt was whacking them with his stick.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
His young nephew provided the entertainment, whacking a plastic ball around with a toy club on the lawn, replicating pro golf mannerisms a little too closely.
—Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2026
These plays are often brilliant, and even lesser variants are fun to watch, because piñata-whacking itself is a naughty thrill, a cathartic fantasy for anyone with a family and/or a secret.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
Next thing, authorities told media outlets, a 63-year-old player allegedly punched an opponent and then used his pickleball paddle as a weapon, whacking a 70-year-old in the face.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Verb
Larry Hayes, 86, and Bill Moniz, 79, hit the tennis courts in Mountain View three to four times a week — whacking balls across the net as teammates for one to three hours a week.
—Panashe Matemba-Mutasa, Mercury News, 27 May 2026
And the crowd clearly expected that pucks whacking the nets would be at a premium in this series, too.
—ABC News, 4 May 2026
But, really, just being on the island feels like meditative wellness, including taking a golf club and a biodegradable ball from the island shop and whacking it into the sea.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Ultimately, the Yanks would spend 2 hours and 45 minutes on the court, meaning 2023 champion Tiafoe, who had prevailed in two previous marathons, wound up whacking balls for eight-plus hours in his ultimately futile bid for reach a fourth consecutive final here.
—Dale Robertson, Houston Chronicle, 4 Apr. 2026
And Matt was whacking them with his stick.
—Big Think, 31 Mar. 2026
His young nephew provided the entertainment, whacking a plastic ball around with a toy club on the lawn, replicating pro golf mannerisms a little too closely.
—Gabby Herzig, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2026
These plays are often brilliant, and even lesser variants are fun to watch, because piñata-whacking itself is a naughty thrill, a cathartic fantasy for anyone with a family and/or a secret.
—Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2026
Next thing, authorities told media outlets, a 63-year-old player allegedly punched an opponent and then used his pickleball paddle as a weapon, whacking a 70-year-old in the face.
—Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whacking
Adjective
-
Then there was every journalist, every giant corporation, trying to chase the same story.—
Steve Dollar,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
-
Sincere saunters into the villa wearing a tiny velour jacket and a giant winning smile that immediately puts me on guard.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
3 June 2026
Adverb
-
Canfield, as proven by her work in Stereophonic, is extremely able at playing a character with a pristine, almost porcelain surface and roiling depths.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
5 June 2026
-
This has been extremely traumatic for both of us, especially Ashley.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2026
Verb
-
In Game 5 of the 2021 NLCS, Taylor had a game for the ages, smacking three home runs against the Atlanta Braves to help stave off elimination (for at least one more day).—
Dan Freedman,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
-
Chicago rookie Munetaka Murakami became the first player in major league history to homer in the first game of eight straight series, smacking a solo shot off Emerson Hancock (3-1) in the first.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Worthington plays David Burroughs, a man wrongfully serving a life sentence for murdering his son.—
Monica Mercuri,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
Hunter was convicted of murdering Green — who knew him only as his alias, Michael Berry — 24 years after her body was found in the trunk of her own car in the parking lot of a Walgreen’s store in Sanford.—
Cristóbal Reyes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 June 2026
Adjective
-
Ciber ’s team work quickly under netting to mount a huge Browning heavy machine gun onto tank tracks.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
-
The eighth-inning bomb was huge, too.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
30 May 2026
Adverb
-
The pastries and sandwiches are too damn good.—
Jeremy Rellosa,
Curbed,
4 June 2026
-
That being said, if a running back were to win it, Fletcher at +15,000 is a damn good deal.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Everton’s hopes of securing a first win at Old Trafford since 2013 seemed over when midfielder Idrissa Gueye was sent off in the 13th minute for slapping team-mate Michael Keane.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
-
Video from the incident shows Shields slapping Baumgardner's hand to punctuate a heated exchange.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
Yes, assassinating their leaders might have played into that.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
25 May 2026
-
Mangione is accused of assassinating UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.—
Adam Sabes , Maria Paronich,
FOXNews.com,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whacking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whacking. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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